Families of cyberbullying victims want legislation, but some have concerns about warrantless access to Canadians personal data.

Amanda Todd's mother, Carol Todd, she said she’s concerned about provisions in Bill C-13 that make it easier for authorities to access private data from telecom companies and Internet service providers.

OTTAWA—Privacy concerns surrounding the Conservatives’ cyberbullying legislation faced renewed criticism Tuesday when the mother of Amanda Todd said she was “troubled” by provisions that allow warrantless access to Canadians’ personal data.

Carol Todd, whose daughter committed suicide in 2012, said she wants the government to move forward with legislation addressing bullying online but is also concerned about provisions that make it easier for authorities to access private data from telecom companies and Internet service providers.

“I am concerned about some of the other unrelated provisions that have been added to the bill in the name of Amanda, Rehtaeh (Parsons), and all of the children lost to cyberbullying attacks,” Todd told a House of Commons committee Tuesday.

“I don’t want to see our children victimized again by losing privacy rights.”

Todd called on the Conservatives to split the cyberbullying element from the larger bill.

“We should not have to choose between our privacy and our safety. We should not have to sacrifice our children’s privacy rights to make them safe from cyberbullying, sextortion, and revenge pornography,” Todd said.

“If there’s any way we can separate these controversial provisions from the law designed to help other Canadians avoid the pain experienced by Rehtaeh and my Amanda, I would support that process.”

Bill C-13, introduced by Justice Minister Peter MacKay in November 2013, creates a new criminal offence for the non-consensual distribution of intimate images — a common component of cyberbullying cases. It was the sharing of such images, in part, that led to
Amanda’s suicide in October 2012
.

But the new offence is one provision in a 53-page bill that touches on everything from cable theft to terrorist financing. Most concerning for privacy experts is a measure that would allow telecom, Internet, and social media companies to voluntarily disclose their users’ information without fear of a lawsuit. The bill would shield anyone who
voluntarily discloses data from criminal or civil litigation
.

Recent revelations from Canada’s privacy watchdog show authorities already ask for user
data extremely frequently
— 1.2 million times in 2011 alone. But some privacy experts worry exempting the companies from legal liabilities would open the warrantless access even flood gates even further.

MacKay told reporters that while he has “tremendous respect” for Todd, he believes Bill C-13 “strikes the right balance” between Canadians’ privacy rights and increased powers for law enforcement agencies.

Still, MacKay did not close the door to accepting amendments on the bill.

“The reality is that this bill is aimed at enabling police to more actively pursue online investigations for cyberbullying, but other forms of cyber crime (as well),” MacKay said.

“(The committee hearing) is an opportunity for us to delve into the details, to hear from those who have been affected, those who work in the field. Those who have strong opinions on this will voice those opinions at the committee, and we’ll wait for their advice on the bill.”

Glen Canning, the father of
Rehtaeh Parsons
, lent his support to the bill. He feels the privacy concerns are moot, given the extent of data given over to authorities already. Canning told the committee that he also trusts law enforcement agencies to use the increased powers judiciously.

“If we’re going to shoot this down out of concerns about privacy, let’s talk about the whole issue of privacy. Who really has privacy in Canada anymore?” Canning told reporters.

“We’re talking about privacy and our children are using social media to torment each other to death for likes and thumbs-up on Facebook.”

Despite her misgivings about the privacy implications, Todd said she wants a law passed soon. Asked if she’d support the bill even if the Conservatives ignore her plea, Todd doesn’t hesitate: “I want it passed. I don’t want to wait any longer.”

“I think we’ve waited too long already. It’s been a year and a half . . . since my daughter’s death. That’s too long even for me. I don’t want to wait another two years.

“I want it done now.”

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